Connecticut western news., 1887-11-02
GEN. BUTLER'S EFFORT.
The Gist of His Last Appeal for the
 Condemned Anarchists.

After describing what happened previous to the Haymarket meeting, General Butler said: 'At that meeting bomb was thrown by some- tody for some purpose, and there is not one word in these 8,03O pages of evidence to show that any one of these men had anything to do with throwing that bomb There were but two of these men within miles of that meet ing. and one had his wife and two little child ren in the very place almost where that bomb was lighted. Its explosion killed single policeman, and within a few days all of these men were arrested without examination and without process until they were indicted by a Grand Jury. And to describe simple crime, if crime it was, the States Attorney had to draw an indictment of 69 counts. During the trial the Judge allowed questions to be asked with regard to a conspiracy, although in all the 69 counts of the indictment therc was no conspiracy alleged. He said that Inc was ready to pledge himself that there was not single man of the jury selected who had not said that he had firm, and some of them an enthusias- tic, conviction. opinion and prejudice against the defendants.
 The effect of the Fourteenth amendment was to guarantee certain rights, privileges and immunities to the citizens of all the States. The words "duc process of law" as contained in the fourteenth amendment, and as used to define one of these guaranteed rights, mean ''by the law of the land," not the law of q county, province or State, but the law of the countrywide whole country. That is the law of the land, and was so understood by our forefathers as ''due process of law" Any other meaning of ''due process" of law as it is used in the fourteenth amendment would make it simply ridiculous and frivolous, be- cause any State may enact ''due process Of law" according to that State, by which mans life may be taken, and from which not single right or immunity of citizenship can protect him. Any law State may mako after the passage of this amendment for dealing with fl,a, irl,f pfa ,of4 TIr.k kn1 Cfn{n ho comes wholly imperative, because the Claw of the land" must forever remain fixed as at that moment, not to be changed in regard to it's citizens without change of organic law, and for some purposes not to be even so changed.
 Gen. Butler then proceeded to considera- tion of the special and peculiar questions raised by the case of Felden and Spies, who are foreigners. He contended that treaties were the supreme law of the land, and that these prisoners were entitled, by virtue of treaties with Germany and Great Britain, to all the rights and privileges of American citi- zens at the time such treaties were made A State had no power to try these men by one of its own laws which was not the law of the land at the time the treaties were ratified. He did not mean, he said that foreigner could come into State and break its laws with im- punity and that the State could not touch him. But he did mean that the State could only try him in accordance with the law of the land-the whole land-at the time the treaty with his government was made.
 Returning to the rights of States, Gen. But Ter said that he was not prepared to deny that a State might change it's organic law with the consent of all it's citizens but such changes would not bind citizen of another state who had not assented to them.
 As final reason why the writ should be granted Gen. Butler urged that the prisoners had been sentenced to death in their absence and without being asked whether they had any reason to give why sentence of death should not be pronounced upon them. The record, he said did not show that they were absent when sentenced, Tut they could prove it. The record showed that they were pres ent, but they could prove by half Chicago that this was mistake. In conclusion Gen. Butler said: s'NIay I, in closing, make one observation. If mems lives can be taken in this way, as you have seen exhibited here to-day. better Anar- chy, better be without law than with any such law"